Making a Difference that is Greater than the Sum
If you had the choice of being anywhere in Canada to celebrate Canada Day with your fellow Canucks, where would you go?
Me: On the road!
Photograph by k-ideas
Not that I reeeally care about how much you know about Canadian and American history, but test yourself with this quiz posted on the Globe and Mail
How we do or respond to something is fascinating, don’t you think? Whether it may be a casual glance, a dismissive wave, or an onerous glare — these are just a few of the many combinations of actions that can occur.
So far here’re a handful that I’ve come up with:
We first run into some random stimulus — something that triggers a response or reaction from us.
The Just Do It Attitude
Some Random Spontaneous Stimuli –> Roll Dice + Take Action
The Deer in Headlights Approach
Blank Look –> Hope for the best … and let’s cross our fingers in case
The Puzzle Piecing Fanaticism
Some Random Spontaneous Stimuli (i.e. random tidbit of information) –> Search and Acquire Mode is ON!
The Pondering Life Act
Stimuli triggers mental white noise –> Flashbacks occur in the mind faster than the average CSI episode
No. Nothing else happens.
The AUGH! Syndrome
Perceived sudden stimuli –> Some ear-piercing or bass-heavy scream of sorts
The Swerve & Disintegrate Tactic
Bothersome Stimuli Occurs –> Avoid at all costs until stimuli fades from sight or mind
The Twitch Process
Stimuli triggers emotion –> Result: a form of habitual behaviour
The MudderFudder Grumble
Stimuli Here –> Some form of “pleasant language” spoken under one’s breath
The Rebel Without Even a Reason Effect
Some shape or form resembling stimuli –> A response that happens anyway … just because
The Backwards Logic Drive
A stimulus –> Rational thinking that is triggered but is ignored because it makes too much sense
Perhaps we can compile a list!
So the point — visualizing. What do we do when we visualize something? We seem to make better decisions. We can see into the distance, the impact of our decisions. A simple example would be Amazon’s review chart.
More importantly — being able to visualize our behaviour or the behaviour others allows us the opportunity to change. Check out Chris Jordan’s video on Picturing Excess. Quite astonishing.
I used to be huge gamer — but there’s a huge time leakage somewhere — so now I’ve been reduced to a casual gamer which isn’t bad at all since I’ve taken up other hobbies, pastimes, and pursuits. On occasion though I do run into a few games online that I wholeheartedly embrace. Some many months ago I mentioned casual gaming and noted a couple of games — this time here are some more time wasters that I tend to enjoy. They’re not necessarily puzzle games like bejeweled which I’ll play on the ipod touch or something mobile, but something more substantial. That said, there are definitely quite a number of addictive and very odd games out there. I love Flash games — they just keep getting better and they are so tiny in file size compared to the huge productions out there. I know — not a fair comparison but still it’s important to me when it comes to accessibility.
Comatose - Forget about Resident Evil! This is definitely a great zombie shooter game with some problem solving mixed in. Not necessarily as action-packed as The Last Stand but nonetheless satisfies any urge to shoot the odd zombie that is chasing you down — especially when you’re on a friend’s computer, they’re on the phone, and their computer doesn’t have any games loaded besides solitaire and minesweeper. Nothing against solitaire fanatics but it just doesn’t always cut it…
Attak - This is a great quick action game from the folks at JohnnyTwoShoes. Especially if you only have a few minutes to spare and you just want to kick butt — either the computer’s or someone that you can persuade to game with you for 120 seconds or so!
Defendoid - A classic space shooter. I’m not sure if this is a real game or if it was developed purely for the sake of CBC’s jpod television series. Regardless, it’s brilliant 80s-retro style fun.
Heli Attack 3 - I haven’t played 1 or 2 … This reminded me of the classic 2D side-scroller Metal Slug but game play is definitely a little more in-depth with regards to weapons and movement. It’s got the ability to save too which is great for a flash game so you can come back for more.
Commando - Definitely much more like Metal Slug. But if you wanted the new one, go here!
So I’ve spent the past weekend at Book Expo Canada. A few of my colleagues are generally much more enthusiastic (and in some cases optimistic) than I am but I nonetheless tag along because it’s both amusing and fun to see my co-workers have so much fun (… right, and because it’s all part of the job of course). Lots of meetings, lots of free books (more given out than received… or in my case — none).
The funniest thing that seemed to pop up in various conversations was the fact that whether it may be publicity, traditional or online marketing — the question from management always seems to be: “Can we do it for less?” or “Can we do this for this small amount of $$?”
No this isn’t Book Expo Canada but if they offered free food, it might as well be!
Photograph by http2007
The answer is usually very simple. You’re either going to provide me with the monetary resources or you are going to provide me with the time work on some form of initiative — either way, it’s not “free”.
What I found most amusing was that as soon as I got home was that my mind got hit with three ebooks. Mind you, they are all books that are marketing and business driven so they don’t necessarily serve as the literary world’s finest examples but they do indicate how books can be more than just another book.
I ran across Dave Balter’s The Word of Mouth Mouth Manual Volume II which I should add is available in PDF format to download for free. Haven’t fully read it yet but the few pages I have scanned have impressed me thus far.
I then ran across Dave Balter’s book again on Seth Godin’s own blog which reminded myself and all his other readers about Seth Godin’s Ideavirus — also free for download in PDF format.
And then … I was reminded of Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo’s recent book on social media Getting to First Base which isn’t free but I did purchase it out of support for a great introduction to social media. Despite the fact that I did get the ebook a while ago, I haven’t finished reading it yet — about half way through and it’s good for anyone who needs to hit management on the head with some sort of wake-up call, or even those in management themselves!
Seriously, I need an ebook reader … Amazon Kindle where are you in Canada?! While we were all busy marketing books at a trade show and conference — the word continues to spread about books available online, one way or another.
I saw the trailer for the Animation Show 4 had arrived! Thank you for making my day that much better.
I highly recommend checking out this show in your neighbourhood theatre, or in some cases for people like myself — drive 2 hours to a city where it is showing. Last year it wasn’t showing in Toronto so we drove to Waterloo!
I’ve been thinking about how we spend our money. Especially after listening to the complaints from many friends about the lack of money they have to buy the things they want. My dad also pointed out long ago when I got my first pay cheque from delivering flyers door-to-door in the neighbourhood, that as soon as you receive your pay cheque, everyone including the government is after your hard-earned dollar. It’s all in the marketing you see — everyone is trying to tell you that their product is worth your dollar.
Photo Courtesy of Toni Verdú Carbó
The reasoning that often follows is to weigh the things that we want against the things that we need. Sometimes the two get mixed together. This may be followed by the reasoning that poses the question — how frequent will we make use of this thing that we purchase?
I propose that we look at things this way. How many hours of work do we put in, just so that we can afford to buy [insert product]?
The question becomes … if we do not use a dollar value, how can we determine the true value of a product? How do we define value? Value can be in this case (without referring back to the crazy economic theories) the net worth of how much we desire a product that we are willing to exchange the hours of work from which we earn a wage.
The reason why I remove the dollar value from this perspective because the dollar bill itself has a tendency to eliminate (or make us temporarily forget) our ability to reference in our mind how much work we really put in for those hours of labour (skilled or unskilled). Don’t get me wrong now — the dollar bill itself becomes a reference for how much of it we are willing to spend but many of us tend to let go of how many hours went into that dollar bill itself.
By using time as a reference, we can then truly extract value from products worth extracting from. And when we extract value from products worth extracting from — we as citizens, customers, and stakeholders — impose a new value on all the products out there — time.
Time is a finite value for all of us (unless you are immortal I guess…) and as I point out to many businesses, time can never be recovered, but you can recover money (or even earn more) over time.
To Summarize
1. When thinking of purchasing something, think of how many hours of work you must go through in order to afford purchasing that something. How many hours of pointless meetings did I have to go through?
2. If deciding to purchase a product, ask yourself how many hours of [insert value: emotional, secular, spiritual, etc.] would be associated with the outcome of purchasing that product. Will I thoroughly use and enjoy this new DVD player? How often do I even watch DVDs?
3. Demand greater value from products. Businesses should be providing or injecting more value into and around their products. Really, if a business cannot think of ways of (or is unwilling to) injecting greater value into their product, then I would suggest that the product be cancelled. Think of the transition from VHS to DVDs — all those bonus features!
4. Impose the value of time on everything. Associate the hours you put in with values [i.e. obstacles, bosses, etc.] Were my hours of slaving away at work worth the $20 dollars spent on lunch? or that book? or that CD? that DVD?
5. Calculate your annual time budget. See how much you time you put into material products vs. activities.
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I am of course really simplifying this process but the point behind this action is for both businesses and customers to strive for waste reduction. This not only benefits everyone but also customers and businesses alike because customers would have a better idea of what they want and businesses would have a better idea of what they should produce.
Just like marketers often like to summarize consumer actions within a formula, by measuring our consumption by the hour — we have an opportunity to hone in on our own equation and define what we want — not what the marketer suggests to us.
Let’s put it this way. Calculate the value of a book in hours and then calculate the value of an iPod in hours. I’m in no way implying that one is more valuable than another — merely that it is extremely subjective. In that case, the calculation of hours can be a much better determination of value to a customer as opposed to a dollar amount.
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It’s rather funny. The value of time is often used for commuting, employment, business productivity, weekends, vacations, and travel — yet we rarely make use of this measurement on the products we purchase.
More on the value of time (Wikipedia).
And generalised cost.
Feel free to debunk this idea — it’s still whirling around my head … but I think it is still worthwhile to think about.
The timing of this has nothing to do with the upcoming TTC strike, I’ve been pondering about how people behave on the subway for some time and this was really good coincidental timing.
Interior of TTC Subway Car Graphic by MovingGraphics.ca
I’ve always been curious about how and why we sit where we do on the subway. So I decided to take the time to observe myself and others and see how we behave — perhaps even speculate on why. This is by no means academic or scientific (so don’t expect accuracy!), but rather an amusing look at our own habits as we commute.
I’ve analyzed how I sit and stand, determined my reasoning:
1. This is the top-of-the-line seat. This type of seat would be at the top of my list. Why? I like to sleep on the subway and there’s nothing worse than people bumping into you as they are moving past you while you are trying to get some shuteye. There’s plenty of leg space as well so your legs aren’t as cramped.
Pros: Sleep. Sleep. Uninterrupted Sleep. Maybe read on the rare occasion. Some allowance for personal space. Very good leg room! You can actually stretch!
Cons: Sitting next to you maybe… some inconsiderate bulky commuters. Commuters who like to knit and swing their elbows outwards. Commuters who like to dig into their bags and simultaneously maneuver arms into your sides causing you to jump — esp. if you’re ticklish. Commuters who like spreading apart their legs or pressing their leg up against your leg — sometimes even bouncing the leg (please just stop).
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2. When my top choice is out, I turn to corner seating where I can keep out of the way from the folks who like to stand really close and have their bags swing at me.
Pros: Potential for uninterrupted sleep of course. Possible reading time.
Cons: Similar case to number one. Only less leg room for stretching and increase chance of someone jabbing you with their elbow.
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3. If number two just ain’t happening, then I guess I’ll have to settle for the somewhat hazardous seat (especially when dozing off). It is pretty ideal for commuters who like to read. This is often the case when I am commuting home.
Pros: Some potential for sleep or reading. Good when exhausted after long day. Easier to exit subway car.
Cons: TTC seats tend to be small. To be considerate to neighbour, usually sitting on half to three-quarters of seat to leave some personal space. Commuters with free-swinging bags, large backpacks, or newspapers tend to like to stick really close to the pole where they hold on (also close to you). Be aware of the odd object bonking you on the head.
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4. If the middle-outside seats (#3) aren’t available then I may just settle for the end-of-the-car-outside seat. I prefer not to take these as people tend to like to lean against the door at the end of each car and your personal space is somewhat compromised.
Pros: It’s a seat. Enjoy it. Sleep, read, whatever. Decent leg room.
Cons: The occasional commuter who leans against the edge of the door at the end of the subway car sometimes decides to spread their newspaper on your head.
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Standing Density within a Subway Car
5. Ultimately when there are no seats available that I want, then I end up standing in around the middle section of the car away from the doors where people tend to crowd and get pushed by other commuters wanting to get on to the subway car. As you see from the next image, the middle is the least crowded is where people are least in a hurry to get in and out as it’s furthest away from the exits/entrances.
Pros: There is only one pole and limited space so at most you must share standing room with one other person.
Cons: More difficult to exit subway car. Occasional commuter with gigantic backpack or laptop bag decides to stand directly behind you (think staggered!).
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Behaviour on the Subway
Where do you sit? What kind of seating do you typically look for on public transit? Why do we act the way we do? I can’t answer all that but I’m sure if anyone can recall high school chemistry, we were frequently referred by the teacher to the term diffusion which is the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. Here are some observations:
A. Ironically despite the fact that humans are a social species, we tend to diffuse through out the subway car to seat as far apart as possible. As seats begin to fill up, our attitude towards sitting next to a stranger oddly enough seems to change. We begin to accept our neighbours. I guess we really want that seat … or perhaps we subconsciously value our newfound neighbour?
B. We also like to take the path of least resistance while eyeing a particular seat. That doesn’t necessarily mean the path is practical — be it running over people or pushing through a massive crowd in order to get to a seat, some people will do whatever it takes to rest their legs.
C. Once we get to a spot, we like to stick to it and not move. This happens quite frequently when we stand in the orange or red areas (refer to the third diagram). It also happens when we get stuck in a jam or when we are trying to talk with friends. It’s a little harder to be accommodating when we’re commuting as a group. This can be referred to as clumping — also a biological process.
D. We are very eager to board the subway car but as soon as we are inside, our mind is already focused on how we get out as fast as possible. This is the case for many people who stick to the red area. The result is a massive traffic jam within the red area, usually in the four corners where there are poles for holding on to dear life when the subway car starts moving.
We especially enjoy standing against something whether it may be a pole, a panel of glass, the edge around a door. Sometimes other people too become temporary inanimate objects.
E. Others who are more skilled in the ways of balancing (or simply have a better inner ear) are able to deal with the effects of inertia and thus do not require something to hold on to.
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What is interesting about this information is that we can take from it the fact that there are groups of behaviour. What will happen when the new trains arrive? It is said that the new trains will be open ended so passengers can walk from one end of the entire train to the other end. Will that have any impact?
For fun, take a look at the poll below and see which groups of behaviour you might consider yourself as belonging to. If you have ideas on additional groups of behaviour that you think that I should add, just say so!
Loading ...Three Other Fun Non-related or Somewhat Related Sites
Tess from Tales from the Subway Rider has a hilarious post on the different type of sleepers.
Steve Munro has a brilliant blog on transit politics (TTC related)
For Transit Enthusiasts (also Toronto transit related)
Jarvis Jargon’s Humourous look at Subway Seating
Update (17/07/2008): The Daily Commuter’s look at the Summer Commute.
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